Divorces are unfortunate events and some of the most stressful events in life.

When going through one, it’s not uncommon to feel emotionally drained. There are so many negative emotions and so much divorce stress to process that if not dealt with properly, can start negatively affecting you at a deeper level.

Whether it’s your self-esteem suffering a blow, or you developing major trust issues, or even worse, developing health issues as a result of the stress, it is extremely important to find healthy ways to help you cope with the fallout in your marriage.

The fact that you’ve got your hands full with so many other things warranting your attention doesn’t help either.

There are divorce lawyers to look for and legal stuff to sort out like child custody and splitting of assets. If the relationship is proving too toxic living under the same roof, there’s also the moving out and house hunting to do, as well as choosing a reputable moving company to professionally handle your divorce move, among a catalogue of other things.

Clearly, it can all prove a little too much to deal with without feeling like you’re losing your sanity.

Below we share some suggestions to help you handle divorce-related stress in a productive way during this difficult transition.

Allow yourself permission to feel

During this time, you’ll experience a flurry of all sorts of emotions. That is normal. However, what you do with those emotions will have a huge bearing on the quality of life you’ll experience.

Some people try to block their feelings or numb the pain by resulting in habits like drinking or self-medicating. As much as the experience is a painful one, this is not the right way to go about things as it leaves you worse off.

A bit like dealing with the death of a loved one, facing up to the situation may be unbearable at the peak of the moment, but allowing yourself to feel and go through the grieving process will make it easier to move on.

According to an article on Psychology Today , it takes about one to two years to recover from divorce fully.

Understand that it’s an inevitable part of the process and you’ll be far better off when all is said and done if you treat it as such.

Do things that nurture you emotionally and physically

After acknowledging the state of things, it’s incumbent upon you to find healthy ways to cope with the divorce.

Sure, you don’t have to wake up tomorrow and start acting as nothing happened. Allow yourself enough time to grieve and process your initial emotions. But don’t dwell on it for months on end. That’s how things are, so accept and try to move on, however difficult it seems. Because you need to.

Healthy ways to deal with the divorce include:

  • Surrounding yourself with positive people
  • Developing a new hobby (or two or three)
  • Reading books
  • Taking up or stepping up your exercise regimen etc.

In the midst of it all, make sure to get plenty of rest and eat healthy and nutritious foods. More than ever now is a good time to engage in self-care, so put effort into leading a lifestyle that will enhance your sense of self-worth and esteem.

Don’t make any hasty decisions

As much as we’re advocating for change and moving on, it’s best to think through any decisions or changes to your life, keeping in mind that this is a highly stressful period.

During times like these, it’s important to take things one day at a time until you’re ready to think clearly without letting emotions drive your decisions.

Let go and move on

Try to be introspective and acknowledge your role in the problems that led to the divorce.

No, this is not to suggest to be hard on yourself and apportion the blame squarely on you. That’s one of the unhealthiest things you can do. The idea, rather, is to own up so you can heal wholly without giving negativity a chance to eat you up slowly from the inside.

Forgive yourself and your partner; and as you start your new journey, don’t let the issues from the just-ended marriage follow you into new relationships.

In a nutshell, dealing with divorce positively is the best way to go about it. Being spiteful will only leave you feeling worse in the end.

 

This is a Sponsored Post – the author has requested this post be shared on WE Magazine for Women and WE were compensated for sharing.